Quick-adjustable sliding-jaw wrench



J n, 13, 1.925. LEEZEAEW J. w. WILCOX QUICK ADJUSTABLE SLIDING JAWWRENCHFiled June 25, 1925 WZZE N'SeS' Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN W. WILCOX, OF BEMIDJ'I, IMINNESOTA.

QUICK-ADJUSTABLE SLIDING-JAW WRENCH.

Application filed June 23, 1923.

To all 10710771 it may concern:

Be it known that JonN W. WiLoox, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bemidji, in the county of Beltrami and State of Minnesota,has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quick- AdjustableSlidingJ aw Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches of the sliding jaw typeand has for its primary object the provision of such a. wrench whereinthe usual sliding jaw may be moved to the desired position with respectto the stationary jaw in a novel and simple manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a wrench whereinthe said sliding jaw will be maintained in positive adjusted positionand wherein extremely fine adjustment of the jaw may be had.

A still further object of my invention resides in the provision of sucha. wrench that may be manufactured and marketed at a cost no greaterthan similar types of wrenches with which I am at present familiar.

The nature and advantages of the invention will be better understoodfrom the following detailed description read in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the invention residing in the construction,combination and arrangement of parts as claimed.

In the drawing forming part of this application, like numerals ofreference indicate similar parts in the several views, wherein Figure 1is an elevation of one side of my improved wrench,

Figure 2 is a similar view with a portion of the wrench head being shownin section, and

Figure 3 is a detail cross sectional view taken substantially upon theline 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the general direction of the arrows.

Now, having particular reference to the drawing, my novel wrenchembodies a. flatlike handle 5, of desirable length, formed at one endwith an openingfi, whereby the same may be attached to a support, andformed at its opposite end with a wide portion 7 that functions as anyother wrench. This wide portion extends diagonally with 1.1. ,tongueportion 10 of the sliding jaw 11 Serial No. 647,215.

across said head 7 and directly beneath said stationary jaw 8 is anundercut groove 9, through which is freely slidable the relativelyelongated tongue 10 of a. sliding jaw As more clearly shown in Fig. 2the formed at its inner edge with rack teeth 12 that are extended at anangle in a direc tion toward the outer end of said tongue.

Adjacent the, oppositerside of the wrench head ,7 from that whichcarries the stationary jaw 8 and communicating at one end with saidundercut groove 9 is a pocket 18 within which is slidable a pair ofrelatively square-shaped plates designated respectively at 14 and 15.The edges of these plates adjacent the rack teeth of said tongue 10 aretoothed at 1 1 and 15 respectively, it being noted in this connectionthat these teeth are inclined in a direction opposite to the inclinationof the teeth of said tongue 10. Furthermore, the teeth upo-n one plateare arranged in staggered relation to the teeth upon the upper platewhereby the teeth of one plate will be wholly intermeshed with the teethof said tongue 10 the teeth of the opposite plate being only partlywithin the teeth of said tongue for allowing adjustment to be made ofthe slid ing jaw equivalent to one-half the distance between therespective teeth 12 on said tongue 10.

The plates 14k and 15 are maintained in a position to have theirrespective teeth in mesh with the teeth of the tongue of said slidingjaw 11 through the instrumentality of expansion coil springs 16 whichare located in said pocket 13 between the opposed end of said pocket andthe adjacent edges of said plates.

The head 7 of the wrench is provided with an opening 17 immediatelyabove the front end of the pocket 13 and positioned thereover is a coverplate secured to the head of the wrench through the medium of set screws19 or the like. This plate 18 is provided substantially centrally with aslot 20 through which extends an elongated screw 21. This screw 21 alsoextends through a slot in the uppermost plate 1% which is of lesserlength than the slot in said plate 18, this screw being finally engagedat its screw threaded end in a screw threaded opening in the lowermostplate 15. Connectedfto the upper end-of the screw 21 and slidable uponsaid plate 18is a thumb piece 22 the top snrtace thereof being milled.It will be apparent that a rearward movement of this plate 22 willoccasion a similar movement of the plates 1% and thereby disengaging thetoothed edges of the plates from the teeth 12 of the sliding jaw tongue10 whereby this jaw maybe moved outwardly with respect to the stationaryjaw '8.

From the foregoing it is believed by me that numerous advantages of awrench of this: character will be readily apparent to those skilledinthe art and even 'tl iough I have h'erein'set forth the most practicalembodiments of the invention it isnevertheless to be understood thatminor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscopeof'the inventionas set forth in the appended claim.

25 Havinglthus described by invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is A wrench comprising a handle provided witha fixed jaw and having a jocket disposedat the fixed jaw, a jaw slidablymounted with relation tothe fixed jaw and provided with ratchet teethdisposed toward the said pocket," plates arranged. side by side in thepocket and having ratchet teeth adapted to engage the teeth of themovable jaw, springs interposed between the edges of the plates and thebottom of the pocket and serving to hold the teeth of the plates towardthe teeth of the movablej aw, one of the said plates having a'slotdisposed transversely to the toothed edge thereof, a pin fixed tojtheother plate and passingthrough said slot and a cover plate mounted onthe handle overlying the pocket and having a slcitforined therein, saidpin also passing through theslot ofthe'cover plate andha-ving'a t' itsouter end a thumb covers said slot.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN W. WVI'LCOX.

piece which

